Two Vietnamese teams enjoy first AFC Cup victories

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese clubs
grabbed their victories at the first group round matches of the Asian Football
Confederation Cup on February 10.

Goals from Ho Phuc Tinh and Ho Khac Ngoc saw
a dominant Song Lam Nghe An defeat hosts Tampines Rovers of Singapore 2-0 in
Group H at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Earlier, a goal from captain Pape Omar Faye
gave FLC Thanh Hoa a hard fought 1-0 win over the Filipino team Global Cebu in the Group G encounter in Hanoi
at the My Dinh Stadium.

Foggy conditions prevented both Thanh Hoa and
Global Cebu from playing their best.

It took until the 73rd minute for
supporters to see the only goal during the match.

Nguyen Xuan Thanh’s left-footed cross
floated to the back post, where Faye was left unmarked to smash a header past
Global Cebu custodian Patrick Deyto.

Deyto had twice earlier denied Faye with two
clutch saves, including one in the first half from point blank, when the
Senegalese striker attempted to kick the ball home from a corner, with Deyto
also doing well to clean up the resulting scramble in the box.

The 27-year-old keeper was refused Tran
Dinh Hoang’s venomous effort from the edge of the box near the end of the first
half.

On the other side, Vietnamese eyes were
kept on U23 goalie Bui Tien Dung in his first performance, after returning home
as a hero from the Asian championship last month in China.

Thanks to his teammates, Dung faced almost
no threats during the match. He was so relaxed that he had time to advance to
near the centre point to watch Faye’s successful header.

Thanh Hoa’s next trip will be to Myanmar to
face Yangon United, while Global Cebu is at home against Indonesia’s Bali
United on February 27.

In Singapore, the Vietnamese National Cup
winners took the lead when midfielder Ngoc slipped the ball in for defender Tinh,
who made no mistake in putting the ball past Syazwan Buhari in goal.

Ngọc then scored an early contender for
goal of the tournament, with a rocket from outside the box with just 20 minutes
remaining, sealing all three points for the visitors.

Despite the victory, Song Lam Nghe An
suffered a large loss when their No 1 keeper, Tran Nguyen Manh, broke his arm.

In an attempt to block a kick from Tampines
Rovers side at the 23rd minute, Manh fell to the ground and broke his arm.

Doctors immediately sent him to the
hospital where it was noting that he needed surgery.

The injury may keep Manh out of action for
months, which means that he may miss the first period of the V.League season,
which kicks off next month.

Song Lam Nghe An will be at home against
Malaysian powerhouse Johor Darul Ta’zim on February 28, while Tampines Rovers
will travel to Indonesia to face Persija Jakarta. - VNA